It won’t matter which state the switch is in, when you flip it, the lights will toggle on or off accordingly, with the same being true of the smart control.
At less than half the size of the Basic, it lives up to its Mini name, which according to Sonoff’s marketing materials means it will fit inside a standard EU switch box – but unfortunately, when testing the device we found it didn’t fit behind any of our test switches, so if you’re planning on using it to upgrade the lighting in your home, you will need to measure the available space inside the switch box first.
This is important, not only for aesthetics, but because it needs to sit inside an enclosure due to the live screw terminals which are exposed on the unit.
Much like the Basic, the smart control via the eWeLink app works really well, and we had no issues getting it connected to our WiFi network, or added as a device to our Amazon Echo.
Among the features of the app are the ability to set a regular schedule, timers, and interaction with the IFTTT service, letting you do things like, automatically trigger the switch when the ISS is overhead, for example.
One new feature is that of LAN access, meaning smart control can continue to work independently of a cloud service, which solves the previously reported issue of the cloud service occasionally going down, and bypassing potential issues with an unstable internet connection.
Also new is a DIY mode, aimed at developers, which provides a REST API for direct control of the device, which is enabled by opening the casing and attaching the included jumper. The documentation and tools for this exist on a GitHub repo, but still appear in their infancy. Provided you have a suitable enclosure, the Sonoff Mini provides an easy-to-use way of adding IoT control to existing appliances.
Verdict: 8 out of 10
Adds smart control to room lighting in an elegant way, provided it fits behind your switch.
£6.40 www.itead.cc
